The right mattress for you depends on a number of factors, including your body type and sleep style. Here’s how to sort through the top options.
Sleeping Position
The position you usually sleep in plays a big part in which mattress you’ll find most supportive and comfortable. Side sleepers tend to get the best support from a softer mattress that provides more contouring and pressure relief through the hips and shoulders.
Back sleepers, on the other hand, tend to gravitate toward mattresses that supply medium-firm firmness to help maintain good alignment through the spine.
Stomach sleepers often find firmer mattresses to be the most comfortable because they prevent the hips from sinking in too deep.
Combination sleepers who tend to change positions throughout the night should seek a mattress that supports multiple positions and provides good responsiveness for ease of moving around the bed.
Firmness
The firmness of a mattress is a subjective rating that exists on a 1 to 10 scale between soft and firm. We’ve found most sleepers prefer a medium-firm mattress, or about a 6.5 to 7.5 out of 10 on our firmness scale.
Mattress Construction
Different mattress materials have their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to support, comfort, cooling and value. Here’s what you can expect from the primary types of mattresses.
- Foam or memory foam: These mattresses are completely made from layers of foam for support and cushioning. Memory foam tends to provide good pressure relief and contouring, but it can also sleep warmer than innerspring beds. Gel- or copper-infused foams are often used to add additional cooling.
- Latex: Latex is derived from the sap of a rubber tree. The resulting natural foam product tends to offer more support, cooling and responsiveness than memory foam; however, the best latex mattresses often cost more.
- Innerspring: Innerspring mattresses are made from steel coils, which give them a classic-feeling bounce. These mattresses tend to be springy and responsive with good cooling, though they often don’t isolate motion as well as memory foam beds do.
- Hybrid: Hybrid mattresses aim for a best-of-both worlds construction that combines the best qualities of memory foam or latex and innersprings.
- Adjustable: Adjustable firmness mattresses have air chambers that adjust the firmness and feel.
Pain Management
The best type of mattress for pain depends on the locus of that discomfort. For those who suffer from back pain, a medium-firm mattress that provides a nice balance of comfort and support is usually a good option. Hybrids tend to work best for this group; however, an innerspring mattress can also be a good option.
Those who suffer from hip or shoulder pain will need a mattress that provides a nice balance of spine alignment and pressure relief for back or side sleeping. You can usually get what you need there from a memory foam or latex mattress that provides sufficient contouring.
Always check with your doctor first to see if they have recommendations for mattresses that can help manage pain.
Cooling Technologies
If you tend to sleep hot, you should consider a mattress with additional cooling features to help with temperature regulation and prevent overheating. These features can come in the form of cooling covers, gel- or copper-infused foam, open-cell foam and phase change materials that can absorb body heat.
Body Type and Weight
Your body type and body weight are important factors to consider when choosing a mattress. Heavier people (those over 230 pounds) will put more pressure on the mattress than lighter folks, so they should seek out firmer, more durable mattresses that will better hold up under their weight. Lightweight sleepers (those under 130 pounds) should consider softer mattresses so they can sink into the top layer of the mattress enough to get good pressure relief.
Sleeping Next to a Partner
If you share a bed with a partner, you have a few additional factors to consider when shopping for a new box mattress.
First, you’ll have to factor in your partner’s sleep style and body type and find a compromise between your support needs and theirs. But you’ll also want to look for a mattress that boasts above-average edge support, so you can both spread out across the mattress without worrying about sagging along the edges.
You’ll also want to consider motion transfer—a mattress that isolates motion well is one that will allow you both to sleep peacefully without being awakened by every movement on the other side of the bed.
